Joseph Waterhouse (minister)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Waterhouse was an English
-born Australia
n Methodist minister and missionary
in Fiji
. He is credited with having converted, to Christianity, Cakobau, chief of Bau
and King of Fiji.
, Bath from 1832 until 1836. The Waterhouse family migrated to Australia in 1839 when John Waterhouse became general superintendent of the Wesleyan Methodist Mission in Australia and Joseph attended St Andrew's Presbyterian school, Hobart. Waterhouse married Elizabeth, née Watson, on 26 March 1850.
. After a period of ill health, Waterhouse left Fiji in 1864 and worked in Tasmania
and Victoria
. Following the annexation of Fiji to Britain, Waterhouse returned to the islands and led the Training Institution until 1878 when he returned to Australia. Waterhouse was drowned when the Tararua was wrecked off the coast of Dunedin
and was survived by his wife and ten children.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Methodist minister and missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. He is credited with having converted, to Christianity, Cakobau, chief of Bau
Bau Island
Bau is a small island in Fiji, off the east coast of the main island of Viti Levu.-History:With the aid of Charlie Savage, who brought firearms to Bau Island, the Bauan people quickly established themselves as an undefeatable military force...
and King of Fiji.
Early life
Waterhouse was the ninth born child of the Methodist minister John Waterhouse and was born in Halifax, Yorkshire. He attended Kingswood SchoolKingswood School
Kingswood School, referred to as 'Kingswood', is an independent day and boarding school located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school is coeducational and educates some 950 children aged 3 to 18. It is notable for being founded by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1748...
, Bath from 1832 until 1836. The Waterhouse family migrated to Australia in 1839 when John Waterhouse became general superintendent of the Wesleyan Methodist Mission in Australia and Joseph attended St Andrew's Presbyterian school, Hobart. Waterhouse married Elizabeth, née Watson, on 26 March 1850.
Church career
He joined the Methodist society at 14 and in 1849 joined the ministry as a missionary to Fiji where he served until 1857. After two years in Australia he returned to Fiji in 1859 as chairman of the district and while touring the islands campaigned against cession to BritainUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. After a period of ill health, Waterhouse left Fiji in 1864 and worked in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. Following the annexation of Fiji to Britain, Waterhouse returned to the islands and led the Training Institution until 1878 when he returned to Australia. Waterhouse was drowned when the Tararua was wrecked off the coast of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
and was survived by his wife and ten children.
Legacy
Waterhouse was a supporter of local teachers in Fiji and is said to have converted Cakobau, who as chief of Bau became King of Fiji when he formed the island state.Publication
- Vah-tah-ah - The Feejeean Princess (Lond,1857)
- The Native Minister (Lond, 1858)
- The King and People of Fiji (Lond, 1866)
- The Ocean Child - Memoir of Mrs Anna M. Rooney (Lond, 1868)
See also
- Jabez WaterhouseJabez WaterhouseJabez Bunting Waterhouse was an English-born Australian Methodist minister and a leading legislator within conference.-Early life:...
- Brother - Samuel WaterhouseSamuel WaterhouseSamuel Waterhouse was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1863 to 1880.Waterhouse was the son of John Waterhouse of Wellhead and his wife Grace Elizabeth Rawson, daughter of John Rawson of Stony Royd, near Halifax. He was a director of the Great Northern...
- Brother - John WaterhouseJohn Waterhouse (headmaster)John Waterhouse was an Australian principal who was headmaster of two of New South Wales first public boys high schools.-Early life:...
- Nephew